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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 02-22-2014, 06:31 PM
Devin Devin is offline
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Best Epoxy?

I would really apprecaite some advice on the best epoxy to use on knives. My first few knives have been full-tang, but I'm getting ready to try one with the metal "hidden" in a piece of antler. I'd like to try it without pins so I'll be relying 100% on the epoxy!

Can't tell you how much I appreciate advice from those with experience! Takes a lot of the tension out of this!

Devin
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Old 02-22-2014, 06:47 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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I think you'll find that most of us who want the best of the best epoxies use AcraGlas. There are other epoxies that are about as good but AcraGlas seems to have become the standard. You can get AcraGlas is small kits from Jantz. The easiest way to mix it is to use syringes - no needle necessary, just the syringe body. You can find syringes at veterinary supply stores, feed stores, and some pet shops. They're very cheap.

And for Pete's sake, read the instructions on the glue very carefully and follow them! It says mix continuously for 4 minutes and they really mean it! Don't crap out after 3 and a half minutes.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of not pinning a handle but if you prepare your tang correctly and use this glue there really shouldn't be a problem ...


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Old 02-22-2014, 07:09 PM
Devin Devin is offline
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Ray- thanks! I looked at Jantz, there is one in a green box (a gel?) and one in a red box. Is one better than the other?
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Old 02-22-2014, 07:09 PM
jmccustomknives jmccustomknives is offline
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Better to pin. Never rely on just the glue.
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Old 02-22-2014, 07:15 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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Those who use the Acraglas epoxy use the regular (red box) stuff. I use the West Epoxy which can be had at USA Knife Maker Supply. It's thinner and it's time is determined by the hardener that you get with it separately. I mix it by weight.

I strongly recommend that you stay away from the off brand stuff. Twice I had problems with the stuff setting. Evidently it can have a short shelf life. They also may not be water prof. Acraglas and the West system, which is a marine epoxy, definitely are.

Doug


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Last edited by Doug Lester; 02-22-2014 at 07:19 PM.
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Old 02-22-2014, 07:15 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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The standard stuff in the red box, not the gel ....


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Old 02-22-2014, 09:30 PM
Devin Devin is offline
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Thanks so much!
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Old 02-23-2014, 06:29 AM
WBE WBE is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jmccustomknives View Post
Better to pin. Never rely on just the glue.
Tell that to Gary Randall. Apparently he doesn't know he needs pins.
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Old 02-23-2014, 07:53 AM
jmccustomknives jmccustomknives is offline
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WBE, sorry to show my ignorance. I don't know who Gary Randall is. I don't run in the collector knife circles.
This I do know, antler is an unstable organic material. It will absorb water. It will expand, contract and breath. All that will work the glue loose and the handle will eventually fail. Now I suppose if the knife is going on a shelf and will never see hard use it would be fine. I for one don't want to take that chance. I've had glues fail on my early knives so now I don't trust them to be the primary binding that holds things together.
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Old 02-24-2014, 07:02 AM
WBE WBE is offline
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Randall Knives, Orlando,Fl. Since 1937. World famous for rugged dependable combat knives, WW II, Korea, Viet Nam. I understand your concerns, but I have never heard of a Randall failing for any reason. Randalls antler gripped knives were pinned until about Viet Nam started. Give or take a couple of years. Then they eliminated the pins and were just epoxied. They don't fail. A fifty year old Randall epoxied antler gripped knife will do anything a new one will. I suspect they use, or used Acraglas, or a very similar product.
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advice, antler, bee, collector, epoxy, glue, handle, hidden, kits, knife, knives, material, metal, pinning, pins, problem, randall, supply, tang


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